Fort Nelson was built on the Portsdown Hills in the 1860s to defend the city of Portsmouth from a possible French invasion. It was used as a training camp in the First World War, and an ammunition store in the Second World War. Today it is home to the Royal Armouries national collection of artillery, and the museum holds over 700 pieces of artillery. The fort itself is also pretty intact, with barracks, guardroom, tunnels and ramparts available to inspect.There isn't a huge amount of naval material at the museum, however one of the most prominent pieces is a 14-inch gun built for the KGV class which is outside the fortress walls, and accessible 24hrs without paying for entry. This particular gun is #136, made by Vickers-Armstrong in 1946, and the last one of its type. It was never fitted to an actual ship.There were a few other mountings in the museum which looked as if they had naval origins, however when I visited they appeared to be in the process of being relocated, and weren't labelled.Although not naval in nature, there were two other guns of particular interest to me.The first was an 18" BL howitzer gun manufactured at the end of WW1. Note that this wasn't one of the Furious guns, but a shorter version built specifically for use as a railway gun. It survived the war and is fitted on the mounting that was used when it was a proof testing gun post-WW2.The second was a section of barrel from Gerard Bull's 'supergun' that he had designed for Iraq. I believe the components on display were seized in the UK prior to export when it was realised what they were.(sorry - not the best picture!)Fort Nelson is a short drive from Portsmouth, and there is plenty of parking. There is a great gift-shop there, and the view over Portsmouth and out to the Isle of White is pretty stunning. It is hard to know what to visit when you are in Portsmouth, as there are so many great naval museums around, but this one is worth a visit if you get the chance and you have time.
